3. Consider the following statements about the speaker of Lok Sabha

1) The Speaker is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha and holds office until the dissolution of the House.
2) The Speaker, like any other member of the House, can face disqualification.
3) The salary of the Speaker is drawn from the Consolidated Fund of India.

Answer: A
Explanation:
● Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR–RC) is a
principle within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) that acknowledges the different capabilities and differing responsibilities of
individual countries in addressing climate change.
About UNFCCC
● The UNFCCC was signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also known as Rio Earth Summit)
● It constitutes the foundational climate agreement that has provided the platform for most subsequent international climate agreements.
● The agreement is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.
● The UNFCCC entered into force in 1994.
● The 198 countries (including India) that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention.
● Conference of Parties is the main decision-making body of the UNFCCC. It includes representatives of all the ‘Parties’, i.e. countries that have agreed to participate in and be bound by the UNFCCC.
● The UNFCCC COP takes place every year, and is an opportunity to negotiate new measures, and review Parties’ progress against the overall goal of the UNFCCC to limit
climate change.

4. Besides its culinary uses, capsaicin also has potential applications in which of the following?
1) Pain relief medications
2) Food preservatives

Answer: C
Explanation
● The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha and is responsible for maintaining
order and decorum during the proceedings of the House.
● The Speaker has a key role in parliamentary democracy.
● There are no specific qualifications for becoming Speaker, which means any member is
entitled to be considered.
● Statement 3 is correct: The salary of the Speaker is drawn from the Consolidated Fund of
India.
How is the speaker elected?
● Statement 1 is correct: The Speaker is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha and holds
office until the dissolution of the House. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority in the
House.
● The Constitution of India provides for the offices of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
● After a new house is constituted electing the Speaker is one of the first acts that is done.
● After a pro tem or temporary Speaker administers the oath to new members, the Speaker is
chosen to be the Presiding Officer of the House.
● Article 93(1) of the Indian Constitution states that the House of the People, also known as
the Lok Sabha, shall elect a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker from among its members.
Term
● The term of the speaker ends with the dissolution of the House, unless the Speaker
resigns or is removed from office before that.
● The Speaker can be removed from office by a resolution passed by an absolute majority of
the members of the House.
● A motion of no-confidence can be moved against the Speaker with notice of 14 days as
per Article 94 of the Constitution.
● Statement 2 is correct: The Speaker, like any other member of the House, can face
disqualification.
Powers of the Speaker
● Conducting the House:
○ The Speaker decides how the house has to be conducted.
○ The conduct of government business is decided by the Speaker in consultation
with the Leader of the House.
○ Prior permission of the Speaker is required for members to ask a question, or to
discuss any matter
○ There are Rules and Procedure for the functioning of the House, but the Speaker has
vast powers in ensuring these Rules are followed, and in choosing procedures.
○ This makes the impartiality of the Speaker a crucial check and balance for the
Opposition to have its say in the House.
● Interpretation of the Constitution:

○ The speaker is the final interpreter of the provisions of the Constitution and the
Rules of Procedure and COnduct of Business in the Lok Sabaha

● Questions and Records:
○ The Speaker decides the admissibility of a question raised by a member, as well
as how the proceedings of the House are published.
○ The Speaker has the power to expunge (remove completely) in full or in part,
remarks that he/she may consider to be unparliamentary.

● Casting Vote:
○ According to Article 100 of the Constitution, which talks about voting in the Houses,
the Chairman of Rajya Sabha or Speaker of Lok Sabha, or any person acting as such,
shall not vote in the first instance, but shall have an exercise a casting vote in
the case of any equality of votes.

● Money Bill:
○ The Speaker decides whether a bill is a Money Bill or not and the Speaker’s
decision is final on this question.
● Disqualification of members
○ The Tenth Schedule or the anti-defection law, introduced to the Constitution
through the Fifty-Second (Amendment) Act, 1985, gives the Speaker of the House
the power to disqualify legislators who ‘defect’ from a party.
○ In the landmark case Kihoto Hollohan versus Zachillhu in 1992, the Supreme Court upheld the power vested in the Speaker and said that only the final order of the
Speaker will be subject to judicial review.
○ In 2020, the Supreme Court had ruled that Speakers of Assemblies and Lok Sabha must decide disqualification pleas within three months except in extraordinary
circumstances.

5. The India-Myanmar border runs through which Indian states?

Answer: C
Explanation
● Capsaicin is the chemical which makes chilli peppers spicy.
● Capsaicin is most abundantly found in the placenta (white membrane to which seeds are
attached) of some chilli peppers.
○ Chilli peppers are the fruits of plants of the genus Capsicum which were introduced
to the rest of the world from South and Central America by Christopher Columbus.

What happens when humans consume Capsaicin?
● The chemical binds to TRPV1 receptors in humans’ nose, mouth, skin, and insides.
○ These receptors help in detecting heat (and pain), and are most commonly activated
by a rise in temperature.

● But capsaicin tricks the TRPV1 receptors into reacting, even though there is no actual
temperature rise.

● The brain believes that the body is on fire and causes the painful and burning
sensation associated with consuming chilis.
● The body then tries to cool down by:
○ Sweating
○ Red face: It is caused because capillaries just below the skin dilate, as blood rushes
to the surface of the body, where it can radiate heat away more easily.
○ The runny nose or teary eyes (if capsaicin happens to come in contact), gut
cramps and diarrhoea are also the body’s attempt at expelling the heat-causing
element.
Uses of Capsaicin
Both the statements are correct.
● Capsaicin has been widely used as a flavouring and preservative agent in food
formulations
● Medical Field:
○ Topically applied capsaicin is useful in alleviating pain (analgesic) associated
with diabetic neuropathy and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
○ It is used to increase the bladder capacity and reduce incontinence in patients
with bladder hyperactivity.

● It exhibits good antioxidant activity in the food matrix and antimicrobial activity against
foodborne pathogens and viruses.
Harmful effects
● High concentrations of capsaicin are harmful to humans. It can cause
○ Heartburn, gastrointestinal pain, and diarrhoea.
● Long-term ingestion of high levels of capsaicin may lead to several chronic
gastrointestinal disorders.
Why in News?
● Food safety authorities in Denmark have recalled three types of South Korean spicy instant
noodles over possible risks of acute poisoning as the capsaicin content in the noodles is so high that it can pose a health hazard especially to children.

Answer: D
Explanation

1. Talisman Sabre is a recently conducted multinational military drill in which India participated. Which of the following countries conducted this military drill?

Answer: C
Soln:
● The largest-ever war-fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are under
way. Hence, option C is correct.
● Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.
● This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua
New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United
Kingdom.
● The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbour.
● It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia.

2. Which of the following services are provided by the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)?
1. Fund-raising services for governments
2. Wealth management
3. Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations

3. Consider the following statements about Warli Painting
1. It is a tribal mural art belonging to the state of West Bengal.
2. It is based on the concept of Mother Nature and the elements of nature are often kept in focus.
3. Warli paintings are devoid of people and animals.

Answer: D
Explanation:
● An International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is a jurisdiction that provides world class
financial services to non-residents and residents, to the extent permissible under the
current regulations, in a currency other than the domestic currency (Indian Rupee) of the
location where the IFSC is located.
● Services provided by an IFSC:
○ Fund-raising services for individuals, corporations and governments
○ Asset management and global portfolio diversification undertaken by pension funds,
insurance companies and mutual funds
○ Wealth management
○ Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations, etc. Hence all the options are correct.

Answer: A
Soln
● Statement 1 is correct: Warli painting is a form of tribal mural art created by the tribal
people from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra.
● Statement 2 is correct: It is based on the concept of Mother Nature and the elements of
nature are often kept in focus.
● Warli artists are known to use their clay huts as backdrops for creating these warli paintings,
similar to the way prehistoric paintings were made.
● These rudimentary paintings are made using a set of geometric shapes - a circle, a
triangle, and a square.
● Statement 3 is incorrect: People and animals represented in Warli paintings are depicted
by two inverse triangles joined at their tips.

● In Warli paintings, male gods are uncommon to find and are usually related to spirits which
have taken human form.
● The central motif in every ritual painting is a square known as the “chauk” or “chaukat”. It
is depicted by scenes that portray hunting, fishing and farming. Festivals and folk
dances are also common scenes depicted through Warli art.
● Apart from ritualistic paintings, Warli paintings also represent various day-to-day activities
performed by village members.
● Jivya Soman Mashe is known as the Father of Warli art because he pulled it out of the traditional domain and popularized it beyond the Sahyadri mountains.

4. Consider the following statements about the Trade Watch Quarterly Report.
1. It is published by the NITI Aayog.
2. It offers a snapshot of India's trade performance, trade direction and composition.
3. The recent report highlighted that North America and the European Union are key import sources for India.